


Life saver

by viictoriasong



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Reylo Baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-07 00:30:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8776006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viictoriasong/pseuds/viictoriasong
Summary: Modern au - romantic comedy style. After suffering several miscarriages, Hux and Phasma decide to hire a surrogate mother to fulfill their wish for a child. Ben, the couple's good friend and business partner, will be the child's designated godfather. In a unexpected twist of fate, he ends up getting much closer to Rey, the young woman carrying his godchild, then he'd ever expected.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was in a writing vibe today and got down almost 5000 words? Damn. I have a bad habit of blabing alot when I release something, so please just enjoy. If there was anything off with the medical details I mentioned here, please let me know. And general comments about the quality of my writing are SUPER appreciated! ;)

_The name’s Rey – Rey Kenobi.” she said as she shook his hand._

_Her hands were soft, Ben marveled to himself. As was everything about her, it seemed: from her shouder length hair to her small frame to her big smile and even bigger dimples._

_It was easy to see why Hux and Phasma had chosen Rey as their surrogate mother: there was something infinitely attractive and fascinating about her._

_After three very painful miscarriages, his business partners and friends of many years had realized that an alternative way was needed to have a baby. “Endometriosis is  dreadful business.” Phasma had drawled in her usual detached voice, yet a glint of sadness in her eyes had revealed to Ben what pain his friend had been through for many years. “But the doctor says my eggs are fine, so Hux and I have decided on IVF and a gestational surrogate mother. Naturally, you’ll be the baby’s godfather.”_

_And here they were now – the surrogate mother had been chosen and her pregnancy was well over two months underway. Hux and Phasma had insisted on Ben meeting her and had therefore thrown a celebratory diner party at their house._

_“Ben Solo.” he replied, reluctantly letting go of her hand._

_Rey took a sip of the drink in her hand – a alcohol free beverage, served in a luxurious wine glass. “The baby’s godfather.”_

_“Yes – but I think they asked to be polite, not because I’m so good with children!” he smiled bashfully._

_“None of your own then? Or any nieces and nephews?”_

_Oh no. Ben was 32 and by the looks of it would stay single and childless forever. If Rey was the kind of person who had an aura of niceness around her that instantly attracted people, Ben possed the quality to scare everyone away in that same time span._

_“I’m an only child. No, this kid’ll be my first.”_

_Rey laughed when he threw a faux-anxious glance at her lightly swollen midsection. “Don’t be nervous! If even half of the things that Hux and Phasma have told me about you are true, I’m sure you’ll be a wonderful parental figure in this childs’ life.”_

* * *

 

“You have _got_ to be kidding me.” 

Just because he shared the CEO responsibilities of First Order Packaging & Shipping with Hux and Phasma it did not mean his job wasn’t overall stressful and tiring. This was to be his first afternoon off in months, and now he was supposed to do _what_? 

“I’m asking you this as a friend Ben.” Hux’ stern voice sounded over the phone. “By the time Phasma and I have made the trip back from Cardiff to London, Rey’s appointment will be long over.” 

Ben didn’t reply, overthinking the situation. Hux and Phasma were in Cardiff on business, while Ben was still in London – and therefore closest to Rey. 

“We would have accompanied her ourselves had this not been an unscheduled emergency appointment. Look, I’m sure everything is alright but Rey fears something is amiss with the baby and I don’t think she sound be alone right now.” 

“I barely know her Hux.” 

“You _do_! And from what I can tell you’ve gotten along just fine up untill now!” 

He was right about that in a way. It had been almost three months since Ben had first been introduced to Rey and in that time had met her on a number of other occasions. She was clearly a bright young woman, and strong too, but the idea that she was going through this pregnancy scare all by herself made his stomach queasy.

When did he get so weak? 

“Fine. What’s the address of her gynaecologist?” 

Ben heard Hux breathe a smile sigh of relief on the other end of the line, after which the red haired man told him where to go. 

When Ben arrived at Rey’s doctors’ office, he was quietly escorted to the examination room to which she had already been admitted. 

She lay on an examination table, her t-shirt rucked up to show her protruding stomach. Rey was about five months along, if Ben wasn’t mistaken. He had expected to find her nervous or anxious, yet that was not the emotion that lay on her face. 

She seemed angry? 

He greeted her with an awkward wave while making his way over to her side. 

“Hello.” 

“Hi.” she answered briefly, not looking at him. 

Rey’s doctor, who had been busy with setting up equipment in the corner of the room, turned to him. 

“Goodafternoon Mr. Kenobi! Happy you could join us.” The woman shot both of them reassuring looks. “Let’s see how your baby is doing huh?” 

“He’s not- oh my god.” Rey whispered, hiding her face behind a hand. Ben, flustered himself by the doctor’s omission, wasn’t capable of correcting her either. 

After squeezing a liquid gel onto Rey’s stomach, the doctor set to work with the ultrasound transducer, staring at ultrasound images appearing on the screen of the computer beside her. 

“You wanted to come in today because you haven’t felt your baby move in a while, right?” 

Rey nodded her head in confirmation. 

“Can you give me an estimate of how long exactly?” 

With each movement of the doctors hand, the tiny yet unmistakable shape of a baby was appearing more and more clearly on the computer screen. Ben’s eyes were glued to it in fascination – he’d never seen this before. 

Rey’s eyes were fixated on the monitor too. “Two days. The baby is usually very active but now it’s stopped moving completely, for some reason.”

“Let’s see if we can find…” the doctor murmured, before turning back to Rey with a big grin. “There!” she said, pointing towards a tiny flittering motion in the grainy black and white picture. “The baby’s heartbeat.” 

Something inside Ben deflated. He wasn’t an expert on this type of stuff, but if the baby’s heart was still going, all would be well. 

If Rey too was relieved, she certainly did not show. If anything, the annoyed expression on her face seemed to become worse. 

“And going at a normal rate from what I can tell, so you have no reason to be concerned Mrs. Kenobi.” The doctor smiled at her warmly. “I can see why you were worried, but baby’s too need to rest up a bit sometimes. It’s normal. Give it a few days and I’m sure your child will be back to pushing and pulling at your insides again!” 

Rey sighed heavily. “As it says in my file, it’s _not_ \- Christ almighty. Just clean me up, will you?” 

Only now clearly sensing her agitation, the doctor quickly wiped away the gel from Rey’s stomach. The younger brunette sat up straight away, straightening out her clothes before grabbing her bag and storming out of the examination room. 

Ben, still somewhat dazed from seeing Hux and Phasma’s child up close and knowing it and Rey would be fine, mumbled a ‘Thank you’ to the doctor before quickly going after Rey. 

He found her near the elevators, her face a distinctive red shade. “I’m very sorry for all of this, obviously I was an idiot for making this appointment in the first place.” 

“It’s quite alright. Rather safe than-” 

“And also sorry for the mix up. My own gynaecologist isn’t here today so they had to squeeze me in with a different doctor. I don’t think the women read a word of what’s in my file, otherwise she would have known this isn’t your kid. It’s not even _mine_. ” Rey spoke quickly, adding a sarcastic laugh at the end. 

“Rey? Slow down.” In a gesture unlike himself, Ben gently stroked up and down her back a few times. “It’s fine. The two of you are fine.” 

She shot him a surprised look, at which he immediately retracted his hand. Comforting her had seemed like the right thing to do just a second ago, yet it looked like he’d misunderstood her needing support. 

“Sorry-” 

“No worries. Like you said, we’re fine.” She give him a genuine smile this time. “Thank you for coming. My friend Finn is coming to pick me up, so you can go back to work – I guess that’s what you were doing before I interrupted. I’ll see you later.” 

With that goodbye, she stepped into the elevator, pressing the button to the ground floor. Ben, too embarrassed move in beside her, waved her farewell and took a turn left, heading down by stairs. 

 

* * *

 

The next time Ben met Rey was a few weeks later – again at the instigation of the soon to be parents. 

Phasma had strolled into his office, holding a bundle of paper. “Rey recently started this birthing yoga class _thing_ and Hux and I had promised to go along a few times. So we know how to support her when she’s in labor and everything - but alas.” She rolled her eyes. “Business is keeping both of us busy. I have some paperwork that I promised Rey I would get to her as soon as possible.” 

Phasma had given Ben her sweetest smile. “Could you _please_ drop by her yoga gathering this afternoon and deliver it to her? It’s right around the corner from your three o’clock appointment with the people from Snoke Industries.” 

Ben had been easily moved to do it this time around. The strange meeting with Rey at her doctor’s appointment had been stuck in his head – and he had been hoping for a chance to see her again. To know how she was doing now. 

To see if she was alright again.     

And so he drove by her gym class. As he would go straight to a business meeting after handing her the files, Ben was dressed in his finest black suit and couldn’t have stood out more amongst the pregnant women and men decked out in sportswear. 

“Ben?” 

His eyes had been scanning the room for Rey’s beautiful form, but she’d located him first. His ears growing a clear shade of red, Ben turned to greet her. 

Like the other women in the room, she was wearing comfortable clothes – tight fitting ones that showed every curve on her pregnant body. 

 _Christ, she was getting more attractive by the minute_. 

“Hi Rey, good afternoon, ah yeah, I mean - nice to see you again.” Ben said as he fumbled in his bag for the papers he was supposed to give her. “Phasma asked me to stop by and give you this.” 

“Oh…” Rey’s voice drifted off as she looked through the documents he’d handed her. From the glance he'd stolen at them earlier, it was paper work concerning costs Rey would have to make due to her pregnancy and that Hux and Phasma would cover.

“I guess this means her and Hux won’t be joining me today? _Again_?” 

There it was again – that anger. The same kind of annoyance he’d felt from her the last time he’d seen her. 

“Sadly no, but they are very sorry about it. Perhaps next time-” 

Before he could finish, a unfamiliar women had stepped in between them, throwing an arm around Rey. 

“Good afternoon stranger!” she cheerfully spoke to him. Judging from the distinct lack of a pregnant stomach, Ben concluded that she must be the class’ instructor. “I see you _finally_ brought your significant other around huh Rey?” 

Before Ben could step in and brush off the statement – _The baby’s not mine, it’s not even Rey’s! She’s a surrogate and I’m just the spare parent!_ – Rey stepped in with a surprising statement. 

“ _Yes_.” She spoke, freeing herself from the instructors grasp and moving to Ben’s side, sliding one of her hands in his. “This is in fact my husband. The father of my child.” The last sentence was spoken with a sly smile at a distinct volume, attracting attention from the other people in the room.  

Ben looked at her, too stunned to reply. _What-?_  

 _I’ll explain later. Please play along for now?_ said the pleading look in her eyes. 

And so Ben did. He coughed, recomposing himself. “Yes. I am. Her husband. Father of that baby. Put it in there all by myself.” 

The instructor laughed at his joke, while other men in the room shot him knowing looks. 

“But I’m sure you had at least a little help, right Rey?” The instructor laughed, winking suggestively at her. “Well, if everyone is here then, I think we can get started. Uhm – you, sorry I didn’t catch your name?” 

Rey squeezed Ben’s sweaty palm, reassuring the both of them in their silly performance. 

 “Ben, it’s Ben.” He replied. 

“Ben, you if you could take your shoes off and place them on the bench behind you? Just listen to my instructions for the next hour and follow your wife’s lead, she’ll show you what to do.” 

His cheeks flushed again at those words – _his wife_ – and he quickly leaned down to undo his shoes and hide his embarrassment. A vague thought floated into his mind as he did – didn’t he have an appointment in about thirty minutes? An important one with representatives from Snoke Industries? 

Suddenly, he couldn’t care less about it. Being here, with Rey, _doing whatever it was that they were doing_ , seemed much more important. 

The next hour, Ben was once again treated to a completely new experience. Rey’s birthing class focused on exactly that, the act of giving birth, with both mothers and fathers being instructed on how to handle the experience relaxed and holistically. 

As the instructor talked them through all kinds of breathing exercises – “Breathe slowly in and slowly out, contracting and relaxing the muscles in your pelvis and anus at the same rate!” – Ben could feel Rey sneakily stealing glances at him. He was focused on getting this _right_  but Rey seemed to find it all too funny, quickly averting her eyes when she seemed ready to laugh out loud. 

The class eventually wrapped, with Rey’s instructor wishing Ben all the best and hoping she’d see him again next time. 

When Rey had freshened up and Ben put his shoes back on, he accompanied her outside and offered to ride her home. 

“Oh no, it’s alright.” Rey waved away his offer. “You’ve already helped me a lot today. I should explain what all that was about.” 

They smiled at one another awkwardly. “Yeah… I must say, considering your behaviour last time at your doctors’ I wasn’t expecting this?” 

At his words, her expression hardened considerably. “What do you mean by that?” 

 _Crap_. He’d done it again, said something stupid and upset her. Christ, why did he _always_ behave that way with people. “You seemed quite annoyed that the replacement doctor assumed I was your husband, so when your instructor did the same I guess I didn’t think you’d-” 

“You know what? Forget it. I’m sorry if I bothered you so much.” She backed away from him. “I never told the people in this stupid class I’m a surrogate mother because it’s none of their damn business, which has had the nasty side effect that I’ve been constantly judged for coming alone. When you showed up I thought that-” 

She paused, clearly not sure of what she would say next. 

Ben finished it for her, understanding quite correctly what she’d been thinking. “That I could help put a stop to that? And Rey, that’s totally fine, I’m very happy to help.” 

“No, it’s _not_.” She said, frustration clear from her voice. 

Something was upsetting her, yet Ben couldn’t pinpoint what it exactly what. 

“Like I said, never mind. I’ll see myself home. Bye.” 

And once again, she swiftly took off – leaving Ben again to his own thoughts. 

 _What the bloody hell_?

 

* * *

 

Ben had practically giving up on his relationship with Rey – whatever it was that constantly happened between them, he loathed to upset her – when she unexpectedly called him three days later.

 


	2. Part 2

“Hello Ben, it’s – it’s me. Rey?” 

“Oh! Hey, hello Rey!” He’d been slumped over his desk, painstakingly reading through a report on First Orders’ financial numbers of the previous fiscal year. The sound of her voice took him by surprise. 

“Phasma was so kind as to give me your number. I… feel like I own you an explanation for my recent behaviour.” 

She sounded hesitant. Clearly, this confession didn’t come easy to her. 

“I’d like to meet up with you this week? If you have the time?” 

“Sure! Absolutely.” Ben said. “Would Saturday suit you?” 

“It would, thank you. I’ll give you my address so you can come pick me up…” 

Come that Saturday, he called at her flat. With December only a few days away, the weather had been considerably cold, but with a clear blue sky and warm sun to take the worst chill off. Rey suggested for them to take a short walk in the park near her flat, a place she mentioned was particularly pretty on winter days like this. 

It was indeed a beautiful stretch of green in an otherwise grey city, with all kinds of trees and bushes keeping away most of the traffic noise. After walking in silence for a few minutes, enjoying their surroundings, Rey gestured for them to sit down  at a small bench. 

“I’m glad agreed to go out with me today.” she started, her eyes trained on her sand coloured gloves. 

Ben shot her an assuring smile. “I never thought about saying no.” 

“I felt like I had some explaining to do. You’ve been really supportive to me in all this and I’ve been – a tad bit complicated?” 

 _Supportive_? Ben hadn’t considered what he’d done up to now as helpful to her at all, but it was certainly pleasant to hear she did think of it that way. 

“Being a surrogate mother… hasn’t exactly been what I’d expected.” Rey continued. 

That, on the contrary, did not surprise Ben. 

“When I decided to sign up for surrogacy, I did all the reading. About pregnancies and baby’s and how the process with the child’s parents would be – and so far, _nothing_ has quite added up.” Her lower lip was trembling. “And I guess what’s been bothering me recently is that and how I’ve obviously completely underestimated how this would affect me mentally and physically and Hux and Phasma are hardly every there and I just feel so _used_.” 

A sob escaped her lips and she leaned into him. Seeing Rey so miserable made Ben feel horrible alongside her and he enveloped her in a strong embrace. 

“It’s okay to cry.” 

His attempt to soothe Rey only seemed to make her feel worse, as she released a high pitched whine and continued to cry into his coat. 

“And I just feel so silly because I _knew_ what I signed up for and I can’t seem to handle it.” 

“Hey!” Ben gently whispered. That wasn’t the impression he’d gotten at all. “Seems to me like you’ve been handling it as good as you can. Surrogacy isn’t exactly a walk in the park.” 

Chuckling at his own unintentional reference to what they had just been doing, Ben gently shook her. “Look at me please.” 

Rey did, her beautiful brown eyes still filled with tears but amusement pulling at her lips. His joke hadn’t been lost on her either. She sat up, wiping at her nose. 

“I’ve just been frustrated with myself, I guess. Because I don’t think I’m handling this well.” 

Genuinely curious, Ben asked: “And how did you imagine you’d handle this?” 

She threw her hands up. “I figured I’d just be pregnant? And I’d go on with my life as I always did, and after nine months give birth and that would be it.” She laughed, more at herself than anything else, “I know how stupid it sounds, but I thought I’d just do it.” 

Ben agreed. “If I may be honest, that does sound like you underestimated your workload a little.” 

“And I’m doing this purely for the money!” Rey exclaimed. “I’m not ashamed about that. I offered my womb up for rent, to say it bluntly and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. But – y’know, for some reason I nevertheless feel neglected with Hux and Phasma hardly giving me the time of day unless I have a bill for them to pay.” 

Ben could see how she’d come to feel that way. His friends had decided to both take six full months of paternal leave once the baby had been born, but this required a considerable number of working hours in the present for them to come up with the financial means to do so. Plus – they wanted to finish up projects and make sure Ben would have all the tools and back up he needed to run the show on his own for a while. 

“I get that, completely. But you know why they’re working about a hundred hours a week right now?” 

Rey nodded. “They’re going to quit working for a bit once the baby arrives. And honestly Ben, I’m not anxious about giving their child back or worried that they’ll be bad parents… I don’t know. I don’t know what I expected. More fuss from them, I guess.” 

Hux and Phasma _fussy_? No, his friends were good people but blunt and stoic, and Ben could not imagine them trailing behind every little thing that happened to Rey during her pregnancy. Nevertheless, I understood where she was coming from. 

They sat in silence for a moment before Rey steered their conversation in a new direction. 

“I’m an orphan, did I ever mention that?” 

Ben looked at her in shock. “You are?” 

“Yeah. Since I was very little actually.” Rey snuggled into him again. “Grew up in various foster families. And I had it pretty good compared to some others, but it’s not an ideal situation for a child either. And being pregnant myself now, with all the cursed hormonal changes that that brings, has had me thinking about it a lot.” 

“I can imagine that.” 

“Until the child leaves my body it’s my responsibility. And I take that very seriously.” Rey spoke, gently stroking her belly as she did. 

“And the baby’s been developing perfectly right?” 

“So my gyno says.” 

Ben gently caressed her leg, wanting to encourage her. “Then you’re doing fine if you ask me.” 

Rey looked up at him. Having had a good cry seemed to have relieved her, because she looked much less stressed than minutes ago. “I should just sit back and think about the money Phasma and Hux are going to pay me soon enough right?” She joked. 

“Sounds like a brilliant plan.” Ben was happy to see her spirit had been lifted. “What do you plan on doing with it anyway, if I may ask?” 

“I plan on using it to fund my own business, actually.” 

A big smile grew on his face at this. He had not considered it before, but it seemed natural to Ben that Rey had ambitions as an entrepreneur. “That’s amazing. What kind?” 

“I mentioned I am pursuing my degree in Landscape Design right?” 

He did. “It still amazes me that a city girl would be so mad for the countryside.” 

“I am!” Rey pouted. “Exactly _because_ I’m so used to all this concrete. Most of my foster parents hardly had money to take us out on holiday or anything, so I never went on a proper trip until I was in secondary school. And I loved it. Plants, trees, fields of green, the whole Disney fantasy.” 

She give her surroundings another good look, obviously pleased with what she saw. “So when I had the change to go to university, I knew Landscape Design was the only option for me. But money has been tight – I’ve worked a lot these past four years but most of it has gone to covering my basic expanses. So really, this surrogate pregnancy is like a gift to myself.” Rey shot Ben a mischievous look. “Once I’ve given birth, I have a few more months to finish up university and then I’ll jump straight into being my own boss. But the money will also keep me warm when I’m not _that_ in demand yet.” 

Rey really was strong and sensible, Ben thought to himself. But also warm and kind and a bit complicated, with an obvious history she was still coming to terms with. 

 _What a perfect woman_. 

“Be sure to let me know once you open shop. I have about four plants worth of forest on my tiny balcony and I take such good care of them that they’re constantly on the verge of dying.” 

Rey buried her face in her hands laughing. Ben considered himself someone with the particular gift of upsetting everyone he came into contact with, yet how nice it was to see that someone whom he truly liked could also feel good because of him. 

“What about you then?” she asked. “Any plans for the immediate future?” 

Ben snorted. “Hux and Phasma are off to care for their child soon enough and I’ll be left alone to manage our company. Trying not to run it into the ground while they’re gone sounds like a good plan.” 

“I’ve been wondering actually, because this is unclear to me…” Rey sat back, a look of curiosity on her face, “How did you and Hux and Phasma ever meet anyway? How did your little _triumvirate_ ever get off the ground?” 

Ben wasn’t sure himself. It felt like he’d known the two of them forever, but some bits of their past were rather blurry. Or, rather: he’d blocked certain things out. He’d had his own demons to struggle with up until very recently. 

“We met at university, basically. I’m an American but came here on a sort of fancy exchange program for a year. We befriended one another and realised we had the same ambitions of starting a company straight out of school. I stuck around and we’ve been working together ever since.” 

“Aha.” Rey nodded. “I think I recall Hux saying once you were _quite_ the party animal back then too.”   

“Christ, he didn’t say that did he?” Ben leaned forward, his elbows to his knees as he ran his hands through his hair. “I wouldn’t quite put it like that myself.” 

He didn’t like to think back to his years as a student too much. They had been dark days, filled with too much drinking to block out the gigantic void inside himself that had rendered him constantly emotionally unstable. 

“Listen Rey – I wasn’t always like how I am now.” he carefully started. He wasn’t sure why he was sharing this with her, but Ben felt that Rey would not judge him. “I mean, Hux and Phasma and I did some great things in our free time together but I wasn’t really a happy person back then.” 

“And you drank too much, you mean?” Rey’s voice was steady. She’d clearly understood where he was going with this. 

Ben leaned back, not quite looking at her. This was pretty personal after all. “Amongst other destructive habits, yes.” 

A hand – _her_ hand, he confirmed to himself in something akin to disbelief – came up to caress his shoulder, urging him to finish his story. 

“Looking back, my childhood was pretty rough.” Ben shook his head. “My parents where there but wrapped up too much in their own ambitions and messy relationship to really look after me, you know? And that deeply affected me as a kid, even if I didn’t know it.” 

He recalled his childhood days, the way he’d looked up to Han and Leia only to be constantly disappointed. Coming to the London for his studies had been an attempt to escape all that. 

“And as a teenager I was always _so_ mad. And that never really went away. By the time I went to university, I hated myself. _Really_ hated myself and I had the worst temper. The amount of stuff I’ve smashed and broken and all the bar fights I got into, you wouldn’t believe it.” 

“But you’re better now, clearly. What changed?” 

“I did. Thankfully.” Only now did Ben have the courage to look at her again. Her eyes omitted the kind of softness he’d instantly noted when they’d first met. “The depth of my issues became clear to Phasma and Hux once we tried to set up our own company. So they pretty much threatened to cut me off from the project if I didn’t seek any help. And in a moment of clarity, I realised they were right and that whatever I was carrying around wasn’t worth to let it destroys my goals.” He shrugged. “So I sought help. Medication helped get my mind cleared up the first few steps of the way, after that it was all therapy.” 

Compassion evident in her voice, Rey asked: “And do you feel like you’ve made peace with the past?” 

Ben thought about that for a minute. “Yes – yes, I believe I have. I stopped being angry with my parents and it’s been really nice having a normal relationship with them again. In general it’s great to not be on the verge of exploding all the time anymore.” 

Rey squeezed his hand again. She liked doing that, didn’t she? 

“By the sound of it you’ve come a long way and you should be proud of yourself.” 

“I guess. I still feel very – well, there’s a reason Hux and Phasma handle our pr and business relations while I busy myself with all the paperwork. I’m still not exactly a people’s person.” 

At that, Rey huffed. “Bullshit.” 

“What?” 

“I said,” she spoke, standing up again and stretching her legs. “Bullshit.” 

“What do you mean by that?” Ben yelled after her as she started walking away. 

She turned back to him, slowing her walk forward: “You _are_ good with people. At least with this one!” 

 

* * *

 

 

Having confirmed they were in an odd kind of friendship, Ben and Rey spend more time together in the following weeks. 

 _Friendship_. Ben had always considered himself a loner, so to put that label on his relationship with Rey felt strange – yet, he admitted to himself, it also aptly described what was going on between them. 

He accompanied Rey to her gym class twice more, the two of them laughing afterwards at how ridiculously strange the instructor was. He listened to her rant on the phone about her painful feet and back, or how she could no longer sleep in her favourite position or drink her favourite wine. 

He laughed as she cursed Hux and Phasma – “They didn’t want to know the baby’s sex until it’s born and I promised I therefore wouldn’t ask about it either _but Ben I’m honestly curious as shit about this._ ” – and dried her tears whe she was overwhelmed by emotions at random moments. 

Despite their larger than life schedules, even Hux and Phasma had noticed the connection between Ben and Rey. One afternoon over a shared lunch at the office, they deemed it necessary to ask. 

“What is going on with you and Rey lately?” 

Ben looked up from his burger and fries, shrugging his shoulders at Hux. “Not much.” 

The red haired man shot him a mischievous look of disbelief. “Really now? Because from what I can tell, the both of you have been spending a lot of time together. _Without_ me and Phasma asking you to.” 

“So?” Ben popped a fry into his mouth. “She’s a nice woman to be with.” 

“Well, well, _well_.” Phasma’s voice drawled. “Developing a crush there are we?” 

A real possibility, but a question Ben had put off asking himself. His friendship with Rey was in a nice place and he didn’t want to ruin that. 

“Maybe I’ve been hanging out with her because the two of you are hardly ever there.” Ben hadn’t meant for it to come out so sharply, yet his comment hit home. His friends looked at him as though he’d slapped them across the face. 

“And what do you mean by that?” Phasma said, her tone matching his in its spitefulness. 

“That just maybe Rey feels a bit neglected by the both of you.” 

Hux snorted in offence. “Our arrangement is just fine. We meet her every need and she is well compensated for her time and effort to bring our child into this world.” 

“And I’m not saying you guys are leaving her out in the cold.” Ben tried to calm his friend. “But you’ve been focussing on work so much that Rey worries about how little you seem to care about your baby in the here and now. That’s she’s just a walking womb to the both of you.” 

In a motion unlike her composed self, Phasma gasped, dropping the plastic fork she’d been holding into the paper box filled with pasta standing before her. “Ben, that’s absolutely horrific!” 

“Which is why I hate to say this, but from what I’ve gathered it _is_ how you’ve been making Rey feel.” Ben gave the both of them a stern look. “Lonely and used.” 

Phasma and Hux exchanged glances. Perhaps, much like Rey, the experience of surrogacy hadn’t been completely what they’d expected. Or, how _they_ felt it should be. 

“I guess you are right in saying we’ve been carried away recently with finishing up work.” Hux said in a clipped tone. “To be sure, Phasma and I are deeply committed to this child.” 

“And that I don’t doubt.” Ben replied in earnest. “But that’s not the impression you’ve given Rey. The baby is not hers in any way, but she nevertheless wants what’s best for it. And to get a little recognition of her own in a way too, I think.” 

“And we appreciate her immensely for doing this, believe me.” Phasma spoke. “I think it’s been a bit easy for us to be distant as we’re just waiting for the baby to be born alright?” 

“Believe me, there is also much to be involved with at this point, even if you can’t hold your kid just yet.” Ben said, thinking of all the little moments he’d shared with Rey until now. “Listen, all you really need to do is stop cancelling appointments with her and just – involve her with the process a little more? Show her how you’ve decorated the baby’s room in your apartment, or the stuff you’ve already bought for them. Rey’ll like that.” 

Hux nodded, if not somewhat reluctantly. “We could do that.” 

“We have a final business trip planned for next week and after that we’re all hers. Rey will only have a few more weeks until her due date then too.” 

Phasma’s words reminded Ben of another thing he’d been passionately _not_ thinking about: the birth of the baby. After that, Rey would slowly slip out of their lives again, something he all but dreaded. They had a real connection and their contact over the past months had been so pleasant. 

He would certainly miss her, he thought to himself. 

“Good. I’m sure she’ll like that.” Ben said, busying himself with his hamburger and not thinking about the young brunette anymore. 

 

* * *

 

 

The following week, Hux and Phasma set off on their final job before they embarked on their parental leave. Ben hadn’t been entirely sure if a week to Japan would be a good plan, but he also reckoned it would do them good to have some final time of their own. 

Turns out, they could not have picked a worse moment to leave the country. 

It was 4 in the morning on a week day – Ben hadn’t been in bed that long, as he’d made the mistake of going out with some business partners the night before. 

His phone had been insistently buzzing a number of seconds before he could get himself to answer. 

“Hello?” he groggily said, trying very hard not to lose track of the blissful sleep he’d been in. 

“Ben? Christ, I’m glad you picked up!” 

“Rey?” 

Her voice sounded tense and considering the time of day, Ben quickly suspected something was terribly amiss. 

“Sorry for calling so late, I was wondering if you could perhaps phone Hux and Phasma for me? I can’t reach them myself and I really need to.” 

Suddenly, Ben noticed the steady beeping noises in the back. That sounded a whole lot like… 

“Are you in a hospital? Rey, what’s going on?” 

“I’m-” she started, but something silenced her. She huffed and puffed for a few moments before calming down again. “Yes, I’m in the hospital. My due date be damned because it seems this bloody baby wants to be born today.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all probably saw this twist coming - but this is a story of romance and I'm not here to be anything other than tropish lmao. Baby time!


	3. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A baby comes into the world - and so do the confessions or our two leads.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cherished Star Wars character makes a cameo here - but for the sake of my story, I have made him NOT related to our our hero ;)

_Rey was having the baby. Right now_. 

Silence. 

“Ben? Ben, are you still there?” 

Quickly, the black haired man scrambled out of bed. His thoughts swirled around in his head at the speed of light. 

“But- You’re not – the baby isn’t due for another three weeks?” He eventually managed to get out. 

“Apparently it bloody is _not_.” Rey shot back, her breathing laboured as more pain shot through her body. “My pelvis felt pretty sore yesterday, but I thought I would be alright if I lay down for a good night’s sleep. Instead, I woke up at three with this kid twisting my insides. I called my doctor and before I knew what had happened they’d shipped me off in an ambulance to the hospital.” 

 _Oh my God..._

_OH MY GOD?_  

In a frenzy, Ben started scrambling around his room for fresh clothes and his necessities. He wasn’t sure why: he’d had a number of conversations with Rey about this particular event, yet he didn’t know what his role was supposed to be. 

If he _had_ any contribution to make at all. 

Either way, time for sleeping was over. He needed to get either Hux or Phasma on the phone _right now_. 

“Ok, just stay calm. You’re in the hospital so everything will be-” 

Rey didn’t let him finish. “Could you please come over here? I don’t want to go through this alone.” 

Faster than he had ever dressed himself, Ben flew out of his flat in a hurry. Traffic was luckily low at this time of night and he sped through London to make his way to Rey as fast as he could. His smartphone set up to hands free calling, he desperately tried to get a hold of his friends in Japan. 

“Hey Ben!” Hux eventually answered, his voice curious. “What’s with all these missed calls from you and Rey? Phasma and I just came out of a meeting and we’re supposed to go out for drinks with the local investors. ” 

“She’s in labor. Right now. Rey.” Ben answered in short, clear terms. 

Stunned silence on the other end of the line. Then, he could hear Hux turn to his wife in excitement. 

His voice was muffled, but Ben could make out a bit of what he was saying. “Phasma! Christ, Phasma, Ben’s on the phone! Rey is having the baby right now!” 

An equally excited female screech told Ben Phasma had gotten the message. 

“Listen Ben,” Hux continued, turning back to his friend in London, “Make sure she doesn’t pop our baby out while we’re in the air alright? Phasma and I are gonna pick up our stuff at the hotel and get to a plane straight away. The flight is what? Twelve hours? Oh fuck it, we’re coming back as fast as we can alright?!” 

And with that, Hux hung up, leaving Ben stunned in his car. 

Well, at least that was clear. 

Once he arrived at the hospital, Ben raced out of his vehicle. Staff at the maternity ward had been expecting him, and he was quickly shown into Rey’s room. 

She was dressed in one of those hospital gowns, her feet stuck in two fuzzy slippers. Rather than lying on the hospital bed, she sat on the edge with her feet dangling. Her eyes were closed as she breathed out in a steady rhythm. 

Ben could instantly tell she was putting her silly gym class to good use. 

“Rey?” 

Her eyes shot open at the admission of her name. “Ben? Oh, I’m so happy you’re here.” 

She reached out one of her hands and he took it almost naturally. 

“How are you?” He said. A stupid question really, something said out of habit rather than genuine inquiry, but he meant it. 

“Shit.” Rey answered, her smile painful. Her free hand gripped at her side. “Every single one of my childbirth books has blatantly lied about how painful this is. _Jesus Christ almighty fu-_ ” Another contraction took over and her expression twisted into a grimace. 

Ben gently rubbed her back. “Remember what your gym instructor said. Don’t fight it, just ride the waves and keep your mind calm.” 

Rey laughed at that, a bitter and shrill laugh. “That’s easily said when there isn’t a child inside your body trying to squeeze it’s way out goddamn it.” 

She cursed a lot when frustrated. Ben had noticed this before. It was quite charming. 

“Aha, good morning everyone!” A different voice rang through the room. 

An older man with sparkling eyes and a grey, not so neatly trimmed beard had stepped  into the hospital room. He wore a white doctor’s coat over a strange, sand coloured get up. 

“And especially to you Rey! Although, I really wasn’t expecting to be hauled out of bed so early by your predicament.” The older man spoke as he made his way towards them. 

“If it were up to me, I had still been sound asleep too. But you know what they say – kids these days.” Rey bit back, her playfulness still intact despite the pain. 

“And I see you’ve finally brought your significant other around?” The grey haired man’s eyes bore into Ben’s. 

His cheeks reddening as usual, he started to mumble an awkwardly denial of the notion that he was indeed Rey’s husband. But the other man’s expression turned into one of glee. He gently slapped Ben on the back. 

“Just kidding son, I’m fully aware Rey is in fact a surrogate mother. Dr. Skywalker is the name, but you can call me Luke.” He shook Ben’s free hand gently. 

“I gotta ask, Rey,” he then said, turning back to the pregnant woman in the room, “Hux and Phasma on their way here already?” 

Rey’s hand painfully crushed Ben’s as she was once again in the grips of labor, so he decided to speak for her: “They’re on a business trip. Japan. Should be on a plane back to London any minute now.” 

Skywalker nodded his head, his eyes still trained on Rey. “Aha. Well, in that case I hope they’re bringing souvenirs for the baby because I doubt they will make it back in time to see their child born.” 

Rey groaned in frustration. 

“Sorry kid, but you are full and well underway. Your contractions are a little under five minutes apart and the nurse who examined you earlier told me you’re about 4 centimetres dilated. This baby is coming soon and it has no patience to wait on mommy and daddy.” 

Luke gave Ben another playful smack on the shoulder. “But this guy is here to support you right? I’m sure he’ll do just fine. Lay back, make yourself comfortable, and we’ll start prepping everything to welcome this baby into the world.” 

With that, he swiftly exited the room again. 

Ben helped Rey move back on the hospital bed and slipped onto a chair beside her. 

“My doctor.” She huffed and puffed. “Really nice guy, did the insemination and everything. Funny and warm. I like him a lot.” 

Ben smiled at her, nodding his head. He could see why Rey had liked the older man – he was friendly and had hovered near her with a strong paternal intent. In fact, it reminded him of his own uncle, a man he had not spoken to in years… Mentally, Ben noted to ask his mother how her brother was the next time he called. 

“So now we… wait?” Ben asked, unsure of himself. 

He recalled Hux and Phasma had planned every detail of their child’s birth out: they would be there by Rey’s side, they would be the first to hold their baby and afterwards, after she’d been cleaned up, Rey would have time to say a proper goodbye. In this version of events, Ben had however not been included – and yet here he was. 

“Yup.” Rey muttered, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Her usual shoulder length brown hair had been swept back into three small buns, messy already from the physical stress she endured. “The nurses are gonna keep checking up on me and when the baby is ready to pop up, they’ll call Luke in.” 

“Is there – anything I can do? Maybe?” 

Rey chuckled. “Christ no. I’m on my own here. You could hold my hand if you’d like – but I suggest not looking at _me_ too much or else you might get sick or something.” 

As asked, his hands moved to hers, enveloping her left hand as it tightly gripped the bedsheet. How could she every be ugly in his eyes? “You’re having a baby. That has very little to do with sexiness in my book.” 

“Oh, alright.” Rey sighed. She locked eyes with Ben again. “Good. I guess that means I still have a chance of asking you out when this is over.” 

Ben wasn’t quite sure he’d heard that right. “Asking – asking _me out?_ ” 

“Yes, silly.” She dropped her head back into the pillow, breath coming in short bursts again. “I know this is the craziest time to bring that up, but I feel like I’m dying so what the bloody hell huh? I’d like us to go out on a proper date. Not one of those weird meet ups where you pretend to be my husband or help me up the stairs in my flat because my feet hurt – a _real_ date. With legit romance.” 

He almost could not believe his ears. Despite their comfortable relationship, Ben had never imagined that Rey could feel something like that for him. That _anyone_ as precious at her would like someone as fucked up as him. “I never thought that-” 

She easily waved his doubts away. “I know, you have chronic self-esteem issues and I’m pretty fucked up from having been orphaned as a child. At least we can be sure we’ll have nice things to talk about on Saturday nights.” 

Ben slumped back in his chair, still not quite believing her words. 

“Well, what do you say?” 

Instead, Ben said nothing – he simply jumped up, leaning over to press his lips onto hers. Whatever answer she deserved, he put into his kiss. 

 _Yes. Whatever, whenever – where ever you want to meet me Rey, I’ll be there_.

 

* * *

 

It took her four more hours.

Four excruciating more hours, during which Rey solemnly endured the physical pain, before she brought Hux and Phasma’s son into the world. 

Ben was by her side the entire time, helping her through it all with silly jokes and reassuring caresses. 

With the boy’s parents still on a plane, on their way to meet him as fast as they could, it was decided that Rey would have her final moments with the baby now – so he could be transferred to Hux and Phasma without any fuss once they arrived. 

“Who do you think he looks like the most?” 

When the birth was done and over with, when the nurses had checked and cleaned up both Rey and the baby, the trio had been left alone in her room to rest. She was once again in bed, the baby curled up in a blanket in her arms. 

“I think…” Ben started, but then shrugged his shoulders. “He looks red and a little wrinkled. Like he just spend nine months inside someone.” 

“Pfff!” Rey huffed, throwing him an amused look. “Use your imagination, Ben. I mean, his features are _definitely_ Phasma’s. That’s a pretty sharp jaw I’m seeing.” 

He leaned in closer, giving the tiny baby another thorough look. “That’s Hux’s nose though.” 

“Hmmm.” Rey twisted her head, squeezing her eyes in thought. “I guess you’re right. Striking combination I must say.” 

As the baby twisted and turned a bit in his sleep, they sat back, watching as the child rested comfortably. 

A soft buzz pulled Ben from his musings – a message on his phone. 

“Hux and Phasma have landed.” He announced to both Rey and the baby. “They should be here in about fourty minutes.” 

Rey nodded, sensing her final moments with the baby were coming up. “Well tiny one, I guess it’s almost goodbye then?” 

As if on cue, the baby opened its eyes at that. 

“Your mom and dad will be here soon and then you’re their problem.” She joked, tears springing to her eyes. Rey wiped at her nose. “But we had a good nine months right? You were a gentle baby – most of the time. Can’t say I look back fondly on you kicking at my insides.” 

She looked at Ben. “Make sure he sends me a card at Christmas every now and then? He owes me his life.” 

Ben smiled at her fondly, then turned towards the baby and whispered: “Rey doesn’t know it yet, but this won’t be the last time she sees you.” 

“Oh?” The brunette replied, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “And how’s that?” 

“You asked me for _one_ date, but that’s only a little isn’t it? I do a whole lot of dates or I don’t date at all.” 

Rey gave him a mock impressed glance. “Hear that baby? Your godfather has some seriously ambitious plans for the future. If he’s gonna talk the talk, let’s wait and see if he’ll walk the walk too.” 

She leaned forward then, placing a gentle kiss of her own on Ben’s lips. 

Soon afterwards, a stirring in the hallway made it clear to the pair that Hux and Phasma had arrived. 

Looking as dishevelled as possible, the new parents burst into the hospital room, rushing forward to meet their child. Congratulations were in order, with both Ben and Rey wishing the new family all the best. 

Unlike their usual composure, Hux and Phasma sat in stunned silence on Rey’s hospital bed, the baby in his mothers’ arms. When a nurse came in to take away the baby for some final testing, the new parents trailed closely behind. 

“That was it then.” Rey sighed, flopping back into the pillows on her bed.She had been emotional saying goodbye to the baby before, but now that Hux and Phasma had arrived to take over, she seemed relieved and relaxed. 

“That was it.” Ben repeated 

“This past year has been… special. I can’t put it any differently. I won’t forget this soon, although I’m also really looking forward to start working on my future. Talking of which – could I get a ride home?” 

He laughed at her easy change of subject. 

Rey took his hand, gently rubbing it between her own. “Hux and Phasma insisted they drive me home once I’m discharged, but I think it would just be awkward. They should focus on the baby now anyone, so... You heard Luke, I’m fine so I should be able to go home tomorrow.” 

“It would be my pleasure.” 

“Good. I don’t feel like being alone just yet you know? Plus, I’ve had a bottle of my favourite wine in my refrigerator for months now and I need someone to help me empty it.” 

“Would that count as a proper date?” 

“I’ll gave you a chance to warm up.” Rey crossed her arms in front of herself. “And you better make it good.” 

Ben did – and a whole lot more.

 

* * *

 

**7 years later**

_Ben sighed in pleasure._

_He was_ so _glad he had convinced Rey to buy this mattress. The old one she’d had in her flat plagued Ben for years, robbing from him a good night’s sleep with its complete lack of support. No, this one, the perfect mix of firm and soft, did wonders for his body after weary nights and days._

 _His attention drifted back to the tiny child sleeping peacefully on his chest, a place she so loved to be._

_Padmé had been born little over a week ago. Rey’s pregnancy had been easier in many ways this time around, with both her and Ben already having gone through all the motions (and emotions) of it before. Plus, this time they had truly had each others' support._

_“I still can’t believe there’s three of us now.”_

_His eyes flew up towards the door of their bedroom. Rey stood there in her most comfy pyjamas, two mugs of tea in her hand. She easily made her way toward them, placing the cups on the bed side table before crawling in beside her husband and daughter._

_“I certainly can.” Ben whispered, trying not to rouse the baby._

_Rey pressed a kiss to his nose, then snuggled up beside him. She gently caressed Padmé._

_“Last time we had a baby, we didn’t get to take him home with us.”_

_And that had been for the best, perhaps. Mitaka had been a fussy baby, keeping Hux and Phasma constantly out of their sleep. Returning to work after six months had been both a blessing and a curse to them, as they had been bone tired of tending to their young child all the time._

_No, Ben and Rey had been too busy getting to know each other properly to care about his godchild._

_“I recall you being quite happy with that arrangement. Especially after Skywalker cleared you to have sex again.”_

_Rey laughed silently, her body shaking in amusement. “Pot calling the kettle black there.”_

_“Watch yourself Kenobi.”_

_“Hmmm.” Rey hummed, pressing a kiss to his jaw. “You know me. I wouldn’t_ dare _."_

 _These past seven years with Rey – eight if he counted her first pregnancy – had flown by in the blink of an eye._

_They had gone out on many dates after Mitaka was born, with their relationship very easily sailing into romance territory. Three years ago, they’d been married._

_While Ben had continued to work as head of First Order, Rey had as planned set up her own company. Business was steadily coming her way and she was certainly pleased with how her investment had turned out._

_Yes, by all means, they had a life to be quite content with._

_“I wish we could stay like this forever.” Ben sighed._

_“Not a chance. She’ll get hungry soon enough.” Rey replied. “But for now we can always pretend.”_

_“There is no one I’d rather pretend anything with – you know that right?”_

_He turned his head towards her as she lifted her gaze to meet his eyes._

_“I do. And I love you too.”_

_They kissed. The awkward motion awakened Padmé, their daughter crying out for a little tender loving care of her own. And, without any pretences, her parents gave her just that._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Reylo babies should be named Padmé. It's the law and I'm just abiding.
> 
> This story probably deserved a 40 chapter fluff fest, but my creativity doesn't span that far, haha. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did with this and I hope the final bit was to your liking! Thank you for all the comments and kudos :D


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